Costa Blanca - Week 1

So it is the end of our first week here in Costa Blanca! Nat has been cruising everything and has only just started to check out some harder stuff now. Unfortunately she is not staying for much longer, only 1 day of climbing left :( I however have plenty of time and am hoping to get much more ticked before I go home on the 18th April...

I was keen to see how Nat would get on with something much harder than what she has ever tried before. Nat doesn't push herself that much, she will go for things when she feels like it, but often she chooses to do things that she can tick within the day. This is a cool approach and means she gets a lot of climbing done, but I know she has the potential to climb a lot harder if she got stuck into a proper project! 

So yesterday, I chose an 8b+ for her to have a go on. The route I thought she would like was called "El Club de la Lucha" which translates as "Fight Club"! The climb takes an obvious blue water streak up a slightly overhung wall. The climbing is immensley technical on small slopey edges and slopers. I have not tried this route before, but according to comments on 8a.nu and from reading the guide, it appeared to be both popular and sustained rather than cruxy. 

Nat gazing upwards at her next project!Needless to say, Nat went for it and got high on the onsight making it to about half-way before falling mid-way through the crux. She quickly got back on the wall and cruised through the crux moves before falling again another few metres higher... After working this section out she continued to climb higher again falling just shy of the chains... Nat came down slightly dispondant as to how hard it felt, but all I can say is that if I had been as solid at climbing 8b+ first try as she was on that, I'd be thinking I had a bloody good shot at doing it second go.

Nat doesn't have much experience with redpointing as she often just does routes onsight or 2nd go... In time and with a bit more work spent trying harder routes, Nat should be capable of climbing 8b's and 8b+'s with relative ease after work and I have no doubt about it that 8c is well within her ability...

During the last couple of days I have been doing a bit more mileage mixed with trying an 8b+ called "Océano". Now, I didn't really choose this route based on it's asthetics or quality... It has few ascents on 8a.nu and from discussing with locals, not many try it as it is regarded as a tough 8b+... there are much friendlier routes in the area at the grade to try so people prefer to go for them :P The main reason I was attracted to this route was because it linked in with the 8c I climbed the other day to make an 8c+ (or 9a according to some?).

I wanted to check the moves out to see if I could climb them and whether or not it would be possible for the link. After one go to check out the moves, I went for a redpoint attempt and fell off the very last hard move. It was close but I still felt that the move I was doing was very tough and I wouldn't be able to climb it from the 8c. After a 3rd go I fell at the same place and decided that a new sequence was in order. After a bit of working out and trying different methods, I discovered a much nicer way of doing the move. By now my fingers were pretty trashed and I wasn't feeling as though I could pull it off, but owing to the fact that I am in Spain and seeing the VENGA/VAMOS/AMUERTE attitude of the locals, I decided to go for it :) 

Nat and Tin-Tin!

As I came up to the crux move, I set myself up into the new position and went for the hold (a positive tufa) that I had prevously fallen from. I stuck it solid and continued with upward progression to clip the chains :D

I know I could do the link for sure, but if I am honest, I am inspired by so many awesome lines here that I don't want to leave with just a few ticked/attempted. I will see how the next week goes as there are a few more routes I really really want to climb, and afterwards if nothing else piques my fancy... then maybe I will go all out for the link :)

At the end of week 1, Nat and I have accumulated a good tick list:

Robbie:

• Todos Los Caminos (7b+) - Onsight
• Extranjeros (7b+) - Onsight
• Océano (7b+) - Onsight
• La Casa de los Tullidos (7c) - Onsight
• Celia (7c+/8a) - Onsight
• Meditaranneo (8a) - Flash
• Watermark (8a) - 2nd Go
• Ergometria (8a) - 2nd Go
• Océano (8b+) - 4th Go
• Espacio Tiempo (8c) - 6th Go

Natalie:

• Todos Los Caminos (7b+) - Onsight
• Extranjeros (7b+) - Onsight
• Oceéano (7b+) - Onsight
• Ya Somos Olimpicos (7c) - Onsight
• Celia (7c+/8a) - 2nd Go
• Meditaranneo (8a) - 3rd Go
• Watermark (8a) - 2nd Go
• Ergometria (8a) - 2nd Go